Willie McCovey and Tito Fuentes each hit a two-run homer to power the Giants to a 5-0 victory over the Astros to disappoint Houston's opening-night crowd of 23,021. McCovey's smash in the sixth inning came after a single by Fuentes and broke up a scoreless duel between Juan Marichal and Don Wilson.

Marichal doubled ahead of Fuentes' round-tripper in the eighth. The Giants added their final run in the ninth on two walks and a single by Willie Mays. [The Sporting News]



San Francisco Giants 5, Houston Astros 0
Game Played on Saturday, April     15, 1972 (Night game) at Astrodome
Giants       0  0  0    0  0  2    0  2  1  -   5  8  0
Astros       0  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   0  8  0


Giants               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Astros               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Mays cf               4   0   1   1     0   0   .250      Metzger ss            3   0   1   0     1   1   .333
Fuentes 2b            4   2   2   2     0   1   .500      Cedeno cf             4   0   2   0     0   0   .500
Henderson lf          4   0   2   0     0   0   .500      Wynn rf               4   0   0   0     0   3   .000
McCovey 1b            4   1   1   2     0   0   .250      May 1b                4   0   2   0     0   0   .500
Bonds rf              4   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Watson lf             3   0   0   0     1   0   .000
Kingman 3b            4   0   0   0     0   2   .000      Rader 3b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .250
Healy c               3   0   0   0     1   0   .000      Helms 2b              4   0   1   0     0   0   .250
Speier ss             3   1   0   0     1   1   .000      Edwards c             3   0   1   0     0   0   .333
Marichal p            3   1   2   0     0   0   .667        Culver p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Howarth ph          0   0   0   0     1   0   .000      Wilson p              2   0   0   0     0   2   .000
  Johnson p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Blasingame p        0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Stinson c           1   0   0   0     0   1   .000

Totals               33   5   8   5     3   4             Totals               32   0   8   0     2   7

Time of Game: 2:23   Attendance: 23,021
Left on Base: Giants 5, Astros 7
DP: Giants 2, Astros 0
Doubles: Marichal (1), Rader (1)
Triples: Metzger (1)
Home Runs: McCovey (1), Fuentes (1)
Stolen Bases: Henderson (1), Cedeno (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Mays (1)
GIDP: Cedeno (1)


Giants                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Marichal W(1-0)         8     6   0   0   2   7   0  30   0.00
Johnson SV(1)           1     2   0   0   0   0   0   4   0.00
Totals                  9     8   0   0   2   7   0  34

Astros                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Wilson L(0-1)           7.1   7   4   4   1   4   2  30   4.91
Blasingame              0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   0.00
Culver                  1.1   1   1   1   2   0   0   6   6.75
Totals                  9     8   5   5   3   4   2  37

Wild Pitches: Johnson (1), Culver (1)

Umpires: HP - Shag Crawford, 1B - Chris Pelekoudas, 2B - Mel Steiner, 3B - Jerry Dale


GIANTS 1ST: Mays flied out to center; Fuentes struck out;
Henderson grounded out (first to pitcher); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
 Giants 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 1ST: Metzger grounded out (pitcher to first); Cedeno
singled to center; Cedeno stole second; Wynn was called out on
strikes; May singled to left [Cedeno out at home (left to
catcher)]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

GIANTS 2ND: McCovey grounded out (second to first); Bonds flied
out to center; Kingman made an out to second; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 2ND: Watson grounded out (third to first); Rader grounded
out (first to pitcher); Helms grounded out (third to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

GIANTS 3RD: Healy walked; Speier struck out; Marichal singled to
center [Healy to second]; Mays grounded out (third to first)
[Healy to third, Marichal to second]; Fuentes flied out to
center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 3RD: Edwards made an out to shortstop; Wilson struck out;
Metzger tripled to center; Cedeno flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H,
0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

GIANTS 4TH: Henderson singled to center; McCovey flied to right
in foul territory; Bonds flied out to right; Henderson stole
second; Kingman struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 4TH: Wynn struck out; May grounded out (third to first);
Watson walked; Rader grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

GIANTS 5TH: Healy grounded out (shortstop to first); Speier
lined to pitcher; Marichal grounded out (shortstop to first); 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 0, Astros 0.

ASTROS 5TH: Helms singled to left; Edwards singled to right
[Helms to third]; Wilson struck out; Metzger walked [Edwards to
second]; Cedeno grounded into a double play (shortstop to second
to first) [Metzger out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Giants
0, Astros 0.

GIANTS 6TH: Mays grounded out (shortstop to first); Fuentes
singled to right; Henderson flied out to center; McCovey homered
[Fuentes scored]; Bonds popped to first in foul territory; 2 R,
2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 6TH: Wynn struck out; May flied out to center; Watson
flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Giants 2, Astros 0.

GIANTS 7TH: Kingman struck out; Healy grounded out (shortstop to
first); Speier grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Giants 2, Astros 0.

ASTROS 7TH: Rader flied out to center; Helms grounded out
(shortstop to first); Edwards lined to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Giants 2, Astros 0.

GIANTS 8TH: Marichal doubled to left; Mays out on a sacrifice
bunt (first unassisted) [Marichal to third]; Fuentes homered
[Marichal scored]; Henderson singled to right; BLASINGAME
REPLACED WILSON (PITCHING); McCovey flied out to left; CULVER
REPLACED EDWARDS (PITCHING); STINSON REPLACED BLASINGAME
(PLAYING C ); Culver threw a wild pitch [Henderson to second];
Bonds lined to shortstop; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 4,
Astros 0.

ASTROS 8TH: Stinson struck out; Metzger struck out; Cedeno
singled to center; Wynn flied out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
 Giants 4, Astros 0.

GIANTS 9TH: Kingman popped to first in foul territory; Healy
grounded out (shortstop to first); Speier walked; HOWARTH BATTED
FOR MARICHAL; Howarth walked [Speier to second]; Mays singled to
center [Speier scored, Howarth out at third (center to third)];
1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 5, Astros 0.

ASTROS 9TH: JOHNSON REPLACED HOWARTH (PITCHING); May singled to
center; Watson lined into a double play (first unassisted) [May
out at first]; Rader doubled to center; Johnson threw a wild
pitch [Rader to third]; Helms grounded out (shortstop to first);
0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Giants 5, Astros 0.